“Got away with blue murder” – disciplinary under fire for “shocking decision”

Intense criticism has been levelled at the NRL’s Match Review Committee after Parramatta’s Isaiah Papali’i was only fined for what’s been deemed by many as a deliberate knee to the head of Wests’ Luciano Leilua.

Papali’i was handed a yellow card in his side’s win over the Tigers on Sunday for dropping his knee into the face of Luciano Leilua.

The Eels forward was sanctioned on Monday with a $1150 fine, but he didn’t incur a suspension.

Commentator Ray Hadley couldn’t believe that Papali’i walked free, saying that he “got away with blue murder”..

“I could not believe that I was the only one blowing up at Papali’i,” Hadley said on NRL 360.

“If anyone missed it there are very few deliberate acts in the game these days. You can count them on one hand a season. If that’s not a deliberate act I don’t know.

“The ARL commission says we need to stop attacking peoples’ heads. He gets 10 minutes in the bin and I nearly fell off my chair when I found out the Match Review Committee were fining him $1150 for a deliberate act.

“For the Match Review Committee to be on the same side as the commission, we need someone, an ex-referee or official to get there and give guidance, because the decision they made was a shocking decision to fine him $1150.

“The Parramatta club would’ve been rushing to the bank to put the money in before someone woke to the fact that he’s got away with blue murder.”